1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to water-pistols and more particularly to a water-pistol and puppet assembly which when a player grasps the grip of the pistol housed within the puppet, he then appears to be holding the puppet, and when he operates the pistol to eject liquid therefrom, the puppet then appears to be spitting out this liquid.
2. Status of Prior Art
A puppet is a figure usually of small size having a human or animal-like form that is manipulated by the hand of the player holding the puppet. A distinction is made between a marionette that is manipulated by strings or wires from above and a hand puppet in which the hand of the player is concealed in the costume of the puppet which simulates the body attached to the head of the figure.
The typical hand puppet has a hollow head and a costume provided with hollow arm and leg extensions, so that when the fingers of the hand holding the puppet are inserted into the head and the arm and leg extensions, these may be manipulated to activate the puppet. And the player manipulating the puppet is often a ventriloquist who speaks or sings in a voice imitating the voice of the character represented by the puppet.
Puppet shows, such as Punch and Judy, have long been popular. And on television, one often sees puppet shows such as those performed by the group of puppets created by Jim Henson, known as the muppets. Puppets representing various characters are available in most toy stores, for children take delight in playing with puppets.
A water-pistol has nothing at all to do with a puppet other than the fact that a water-pistol, like a puppet, is hand operated. All water-pistols, regardless of their internal mechanism, include a hand grip provided with a trigger which when pulled then draws liquid from a liquid reservoir and pumps the liquid into the barrel of the pistol from whose outlet nozzle the liquid is ejected.
In recent years, the trend in water-pistol design has been toward creating realistic replicas of military or police small arms. This made it possible for children playing with these water-pistols to imitate a cops and robbers gun fight or actual military combat.
Most toys which children enjoy seek to emulate adult activity. Thus a child playing with a toy automobile prefers that this toy vehicle closely resemble a model of a Cadillac or other well-known auto.
But water-pistols which resemble real weapons are now in public disfavor and in some states they are banned. The reason for the interdiction of water-pistols which are replicas of real weapons is that crime is now rampant in the streets of most American cities and even in many suburbs.
Police under stress may be unable to distinguish between a real gun and a water-pistol that is a replica of this gun. As a consequence of this confusion, there are instances where a police officer has shot a child pointing a water-pistol at him, thinking it was a real gun.
Yet water-pistols are essentially innocuous and it is unfair to deprive children of the joys of playing with these pistols. On the other hand, an exposed water-pistol is no longer acceptable to the public.
Of prior art background interest is the patent 3,578,789 to Ferri showing a water pistol having a trigger-actuated pump for withdrawing liquid from a reservoir and supplying it to the nozzle of the gun. Also of prior art interest are the Altsheler U.S. Pat. No. 3,038,483 which discloses a water pistol combined with an umbrella, the Pottick U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,387 which discloses a figurine-shaped toy that squirts water out of its mouth by cranking an arm, and the Greene U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,412 in which a pressurized spray can is enclosed in a hollow body simulating an animal in shape.